On cricket, morals and politics

Meredith Williams writes: Re. “Rundle: cricket is just not cricket” (Wednesday)

The mistreatment of a shiny red ball by Australian elite sportsmen has been raised with our Foreign Minister in high level talks, and Ms Bishop reports that she takes Australian’s international cricket obligations very seriously. Meanwhile, mistreatment of hundreds of vulnerable, traumatised human beings in Australian offshore detention has been raised yet again with our Sovereign Borders Minister, but Mr Dutton will not discuss Australia’s international refugee and human rights obligations. We take seriously a convention of little consequence and make dangerous manoeuvres with people’s lives and futures. Exalted role models have fallen; elected leaders abdicate their moral role. Our sense of human decency and fair play are racing down the gurgler and it doesn’t really matter which is in the lead.

Gram Stoker writes: Re. “Rundle: cricket is just not cricket” (Wednesday)

Now that players earn millions per year it is not a sport, it is a business venture that is dependent upon spectators and advertisers. Like most businesses, cricket bends whatever rules it can get away with. The amateur game for gentlemen is gone.